The Bear Facts of the Matter ….

Here at Be My Bear, we pride ourselves on knowing everything there is to know about teddy bears, but what about the bears themselves? Now that’s where we need some help, so we decided to put together a handy guide to the world of bears, famous or otherwise and have come up with some quite astonishing facts. See for yourself what an incredible species they are.

Teddy bears, we know, can symbolise many things, including protection, comfort and love. The expression bear hug has come to mean a sign of deep affection. A real life bear however will hug another bear in a sign of aggression known as a body lock, so beware.

Bears are revered by cultures all over the world. The indigenous Native Americans believe that bears have special powers of healing, strength and wisdom with several tribes wearing bear charms to ensure the Bear Spirit is always with them. The Huron tribe created a Bear dance to empower warriors going into battle and other tribes regard the species as having an association with the tribal Medicine man or Shaman.

The Inuit worship bears and believe that if someone is killed by a bear, they will be reincarnated as a shaman working with the spirit of the animal.

If you have a dream about a bear, the interpretation varies hugely depending on the colour and type of bear, and the action it takes in the dream. In the Arab world, meeting a bear in a dream represents conflict with a powerful foe, in Europe it often signifies danger and in China it is supposed to foresee the birth of a baby boy.

Other dream analysts suggest that if a bear makes an appearance in your dreams, you need to reclaim your place in the world, trust your instincts and listen to your heart before doing anything impulsive.

The Bear appears in the constellations as the Big Bear or Ursa Major symbolising strength, courage and male energy. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the Big and Little Bear get their names from the Greco Roman story of Callisto, a nymph who took the vow of chastity, but was seduced by the King of the Gods (Zeus/Jupiter) and then tragically was turned into a bear by his jealous queen.

As for those famous fictional bears, they have found a place in our hearts from childhood to adulthood with Yogi Bear, Fozzy Bear, Winnie the Pooh, Baloo and Paddington to name but a few.

The Bear has made a name for itself in the stock market with a Bear Market suggesting it is a good time to buy when prices drop. Bear markets are unpredictable and wild but considered good for opportunists.

Bears can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and stand over seven feet tall depending on age and species. All eight species of bear are omnivorous, eating meat, fish and plants scavenging for food but only killing what they need. Can you believe the American black bear can go for 100 days without eating, drinking, pooping or weeing while hibernating !!

The eight species of bear are the Brown Bear or Grizzly Bear - which have the most expansive range around the world - the vulnerable Asiatic Black Bear, Sloth Bear, Spectacled Bear, Polar Bear, Giant Panda, Malayan Sun Bear and North American Black Bear.

So there you have it – the bear facts of the matter. Incredible creatures who make their mark on our lives whether it’s gazing in awe as they catch their salmon supper or snuggling up to a cuddly one when we need a hug !

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